Page 29 - Diversity in Action

Developing Linguistic and Cultural Awareness at an Early Age

Table 1 Language Awareness Domains and Examples of Activities
LA domains Goal Activity examples
Cognitive Promoting understanding of Building phonological awareness by helping
how language works, focus- children recognise similar sounds by teach-
ing on patterns, structures, and ing rhyming words through songs or poems
functions. in the target language. For example, in Italian
gatto (cat) and matto (crazy), in German Haus
(house) and Maus (mouse).
Affective Fostering positive attitudes and Sing traditional songs and rhymes in different
emotional responses toward languages and encourage children to dance
language. traditional dances (for example, Italian Taran-
tella, Greek Sirtaki, Slovenian Polka, etc.).
Social Help children understand how Create pretend-play situations where students
language reflects social identity use language for a particular purpose, such as
and relationships. to greet, ask for help, etc. For example, a game
in which children are given cards with flags of
different countries and greet each other in the
language spoken in that country.
Power Raise awareness of how lan- Read or act out a story where characters have
guage use can reflect power dy- different roles (e.g. a king, a farmer, and a
namics and social hierarchies. child). Highlight how they speak differently
based on their status.
Performance Develop practical communica- Simulate interactions in different situations,
tion skills in multilingual or in- such as buying ice cream from an ice cream
tercultural contexts. vendor.

alects are privileged over others. The performance domain links language
awareness directly to communicative competence in a given language. It
focuses on the practical use of language, emphasising communication skills
and the ability to navigate multilingual or intercultural settings effectively.
By engaging learners across these domains, educators can foster not only
linguistic proficiency but also a deeper understanding of the social and cul-
tural dimensions of language.

Reflection Point
1. How can we encourage children to explore language patterns, sounds, and
structures in different languages?
2. How do we ensure that children from different linguistic backgrounds feel
supported in learning the sounds of a new language?
3. Discuss additional activities which could be used to develop the five lan-
guage awareness domains.

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